The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Hollywood, Los Angeles

Two Signs of Approval Process Failure Finally to Proceed in Los Angeles

Neighborhood groups blocked the construction and completion of a Target-anchored retail complex and a 22-story residential high rise for years. Developers and the city have finally moved forward.

December 21 - Urbanize.LA

Chicago Bus

Chicago Ordinance Focuses on Equitable TOD

Transit-oriented development has ramped up in Chicago, but racial and economic inequities have come along with it. A proposed ordinance would expand TOD zones while also preventing displacement of residents.

December 21 - Streetsblog Chicago

Copenhagen Street

These Streets Were Made for Walking

Many streets and cities are designed for vehicles instead of for pedestrians. But policies and programs in cities around the world, and even in the United States, might be signaling a shift in priorities.

December 21 - The New York Times

Tesla Roadster

Friday Funny: A Play About Elon Musk's Hubris, in Shakespearean Blank Verse

Looking for a way to forget about the Boring Company for a little while? You've come to the wrong place.

December 21 - Cult MTL

Graduation Ceremony

BLOG POST

Getting Into Grad School in Planning

Ten years ago I wrote "Graduate School 2008: Nuts and Bolts of Applying". As deadlines draw near for this year’s round of applications it is a good time to revisit and update this advice.

December 21 - Ann Forsyth


Mobility

Bikeshare Programs Lack Accessible Options

City bikeshare programs are failing to provide equal access for disabled residents, the Times reports.

December 20 - New York Times

Traffic and Skyline

An East Coast Cap-and-Invest Approach to Reducing Transportation Emissions

Nine Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states and the District of Columbia have agreed to work together to develop a policy to price emissions from transportation, set a 'cap' on them, and invest the revenues in low carbon transportation solutions.

December 20 - The Boston Globe


Bus Stop

Crowdsourced Bus Startup Expands Service

The first company to determine bus routes by popular demand has found success in multiple states.

December 20 - Metro Magazine

Malibu Zuma Beach

YourCoast App Will Make California's Public Beaches More Accessible

The app, developed by tech mogul Sean Parker (of Napster and Facebook fame), brings technology and environmental regulation together to give people the information they need to get to public beaches.

December 20 - Los Angeles Times

Butte County, California

Rebuilding Paradise: Time to Consider Sewers

Paradise is the largest incorporated city west of the Mississippi River lacking a public sewer system. The town of of 27,000 relies on septic systems, now potentially damaged. Without sewers, multi-family housing construction becomes more difficult.

December 20 - San Francisco Chronicle

Dundee, Scotland

The Best Architecture of 2018 (From the Other Side of the Atlantic)

The Guardian's list of architecture's best in 2018.

December 20 - The Guardian

RTD Train

Denver Train Problems Caused by Tall Buildings: RTD

The A and G Lines use GPS for their crossing gates, they claim that a new software patch and other improvements would resolve those issues and put the G line on schedule.

December 20 - The Denver Post

Houston Metro

Gentrification Threat Spreading in Houston, Particularly on City’s East Side

A decrease in affordable housing, the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and demographic changes mean more of the city’s neighborhoods are facing gentrification challenges.

December 20 - Rice University News & Media

New York Subway

Opinion: Good Public Transit Is Crowded

Embrace the crowds.

December 20 - Medium

New York Subway

Speed Limits Increase for New York Trains

Brooklyn N and R trains can now move at faster top speeds, but only when there aren’t stopped trains ahead.

December 20 - The New York Times

San Francisco Parklet

West Hollywood Pilots Pop-Up Walkability Improvements

Six-month pilot projects along the Sunset Strip include a parklet and painted sidewalk extensions by a street artist.

December 19 - Wehoville

Hurricane Harvey Houston

Texas Has a Lot of Work to Do to Prepare for Future Hurricanes, Says Report

A new report outlines a long list of measures the state needs to take to prevent catastrophic outcomes. However, it avoids directly discussing climate change as a cause of increasingly severe natural disasters.

December 19 - Dallas News

Home Sold Sign

Zillow to Start Flipping Homes in California

Tech companies that use algorithms to make rapid offers on a large scale are growing players in the U.S. housing market.

December 19 - Los Angeles Times

Boulder Colorado

Sweeping Building Moratorium Issued in Response to Potential Opportunity Zone Investments

From opportunity zone to 'opportunity-free zone.'

December 19 - Daily Camera

The Boring Company

Early Reviews of Elon Musk's Boring Co. Tunnel

Take a tour of Elon Musk's idea for fixing Los Angeles congestion.

December 19 - Los Angeles Times

Post News

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.